Gérard Duval
The French printer Paul kills at close range and can no longer understand as an anonymous enemy.
To survive the shell hole and return to his family.
The book
At a glance
- French
- Printer
- Wife and child
Who they are in the book
Spoiler-freeDuval first appears as a body entering Paul's shell hole, where reflex and fear determine Paul's action.
His identity arrives through papers: a name, occupation, wife, and child that restore the civilian life hidden by a uniform.
How the book draws them
- French soldierNational identity first marks him as the enemy.
- PrinterHis civilian trade gives him a life beyond war.
- Husband and fatherFamily photographs intensify Paul's remorse.
- Dying presencePaul spends hours unable to escape what he has done.
Paul stabs Duval and watches him die slowly. He promises to contact the family, then doubts whether he will keep that promise once immediate remorse recedes.
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